St. Dimitrios

Celebrated October 26

Great Martyr Dimitrios, the Myrrh-flowing and
Wonderworking Saint, was a Christian and the son of the
military commander of Thessalonica in the early fourth
century. St. Dimitrios was the only son and was, because of
this, most carefully cherished and educated. When his father
died, Dimitrios was appointed by Emperor Maximian to take
his place. Maximian was an opponent of Christ and charged
Dimitrios to persecute and to kill the Christians in that
city.

Instead, Dimitrios disobeyed Maximian and openly
confessed and preached Christianity. Hearing of this, the
Emperor was furious and on his way back from battles against
the Sarmathians he went to Thessalonica to look into the
matter. He summoned Dimitrios and questioned him about his
faith. Dimitrios confessed his belief as well as his disgust
for idolatry (and thus openly criticising the Emperor
himself). The enraged Emperor cast him into prison, and
Dimitrios, knowing his fate, had his servant Lupus give his
wealth to the poor (being glad that suffering for Christ was
to be his lot).

An angel of God appeared to Dimitrios saying, "Peace be with thee,
thou sufferer for Christ; be brave and strong!" After several days,
the Emperor sent soldiers to the prison to kill Dimitrios. The
soldiers came into the cell finding the Saint at prayer, and killed
him with their spears. Christians the secretly took his body and
buried it, and his relics began producing a healing fragrant myrrh. A
small church was soon built over his relics, and when an Illyrian
nobleman, by the name of Leontius, ran prayerfully up to the relics
of St. Dimitrios and was completely cured of an incurable disease, he
built a much larger church replacing the small one.

Once, when barbarians plundered the city, two maidens were
abducted. When the leader of the barbarians learned that the maidens
could embroider, he threatened them to produce the likeness of St.
Dimitrios. They finished on the eve of the Saint's feast and they
wept asking for his forgiveness. Suddenly, Dimitrios appeared and
transported them like an angel of God to the safety of his church in
Thessalonica and left them among the people during a vigil.

The Saint appeared on other occasions. When Emperor Justinian
attempted to move the Saint's relics to Constantinople, flames shot
out of the tomb and a voice commanded them to, "Leave them there, and
don't touch!" and thus the relics have remained since in
Thessalonica. Another time was when a young man responsible for the
candles of the church was stealing them and reselling them from his
home. Dimitrios appeared to him and told him that he was harming
himself and the church. The embarrassed man obeyed for a little while
but soon returned to his old ways. One day, when he was about to
steal some large candles that had just been lit near the tomb of St.
Dimitrios, a booming voice said, "Are you doing this again!" He fell
over unconscious, and when he awoke, he related the whole story.

As the defender of Thessalonica, St. Dimitrios has many times
appeared and saved the city in times of trouble. The Russians also
regarded St. Dimitrios as the protector of Siberia.